Silverstar's Sorrow
A fanfic by STARRY (allegiances written by Frosty and later edited for this story by Starry ) Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground 13:20, October 3, 2015 (UTC) Follow this line for a ThunderClan POV set a few moons later. "Rowanstar! Snowbird has had her kits!" Inside the sheltered ShadowClan camp, there was commotion. It was two moons after the great battle, and Snowbird, a pure white and gentle queen, was giving birth too soon. "Already?" Rowanstar growled to the young warrior. "But it's too early." "I know," mewled the cat, "Poppyflower is afraid that she will not survive the night. She is also concerned that the father is not with them. Snowbird needs all the support she can get." There was a patronising note to his voice. "What are you suggesting?" Rowanstar hissed. "Well, if no one in the clan claimed to be the father… didn't she have reported disappearances a few moons before the great battle and we found that she was pregnant?" Rowanstar winced. He had. More than once he'd asked her why she had a faint whiff of ThunderClan on her pelt. "I hunted near the border. Uh, no luck though. If you think I've met up with anyone, then you are mistaken." She'd said. "I never asked if you've met up with anyone. I believe you are loyal to ShadowClan, isn't that so?" He'd replied. He remembered Snowbird's flash of guilt. Was it possible that the father was a ThunderClan warrior? A yowl suddenly sounded from the nursery. "Snowbird has had her kit! One silver tabby she-kit! All healthy, just small." Yowls of relief sounded from cats inside the camp. Padding into the nursery, Rowanstar watched Snowbird wash her kit, staring anxiously towards it. She looked exhausted. "She's beautiful Snowbird. What will you name her?" Snowbird looked up at Rowanstar in surprise; she was so engrossed in her newborn kit that she hadn't heard her leader approach. "I haven't decided yet." Snowbird softened, "perhaps you'd help me?" "That is really a job for a mate...but then again, I'm guessing the father isn't here right now, is he? Perhaps in a forest, hunting mice and shrew?" Snowbird stiffened. She could see that the leader was not challenging her, he was just curious. "You know," she mewled, her voice shaking slightly. "Actually, I guessed," replied Rowanstar, "however, Snowbird, for a while I guess you knew how I felt about you for a long time. And so, I will allow the cats of ShadowClan to believe that I am the father." "Oh, Rowanstar, I can't-" "I only have two conditions. The first one is never to have any more interaction with your ThunderClan mate. The second is that I ask to call your kit Silverkit, a name that will bring her closer to StarClan, also on account of her pelt." Snowbird looked up with eyes brimming with happiness. "You'd do that for me?" "Snowbird, I would do anything for you. This is our secret." Curling up into a ball, Silverkit mewed softly, almost in agreement, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep. ***************** "I'm going to get you, Flamekit! Watch out!" Silverkit had been in the world for two moons, and since then she has grown from small and scrawny to sleek and muscular. "Oh no you won't!" Yelled Flamekit. "Wait for me!" Cried Spottedkit, "I can be fast too!" "Come on guys, we have to be sensible. We're six moons already and we'll be warriors soon," spoke Rosekit. Silverkit sighed. Rosekit was no fun! But she was right, soon her friends will be in the apprentices den, and Silverkit will have to play by herself! "Sorry, Rosekit, we were just having fun, that's all," she mewed. "Oh no, Silverkit, not you! It's all we can expect from a baby." "I am most certainly not a baby! I am bigger that Spottedkit already, see!" Silverkit stretched on her toes, but couldn't quite seem to match her friends height. "Don't worry, you'll grow soon," soothed Spottedkit. "Yeah!" Said Flamekit, "one day you'll be the strongest she-cat in ShadowClan." Silverkit beamed, and was about to say something back before she was interrupted by a cough coming from a large tom walking towards them. "Rowanstar!" exclaimed Spottedkit. "Hi Dad," Breathed Silverkit, "I haven’t seen you in ages.” "Oh little one, that would be me. It's nice to see you so grown up! Where is your mother?" Silverkit shifted her paws, “There was a hole in the nursery wall and she's fixing it but doesn't want anyone to help her and told me to stay here." For some reason that Silverkit couldn’t seem to understand, Rowanstar looked relieved. "Ah, I see. Well then I'll just be on my way then, shall I? Oh, wait, have you guys ever played mossball? No? Well, all you do is get some moss, shape it into a ball and...go fetch it!" Rowanstar flung the ball and watched the four kits hare after it while he slunk into the nursery. Inside he saw Snowbird curled up in her nest, snoring softly. "You still don't trust me, do you?" She mumbled with her eyes closed. "Can you blame me?" Snowbird stirred slightly, blinking, "I am loyal to ShadowClan, Rowanstar, I and I have a daughter to take care of. I would sacrifice my life for her, and I don't want her to grow up being ashamed of me." Rowanstar purred, "Of course not. However, I find it amusing the way you spin your stories so that she will leave you in peace. You're not a very good liar you know." "I know," purred Snowbird, "but it worked, didn't it?" "I-" "Rowanstar!" A yowl sounded from outside, "WindClan is attacking at the border!" Rowanstar burst out of the nursery in a scattered frenzy. "Scorchfur, Tigerheart, Ferretclaw, Crowfrost and Mistpaw, go to the border and help the patrol. Mistpaw, you must come back if you need reinforcements." "I want to help too!" squeaked Silverkit, "I can show WindClan who's boss." Rowanstar stared at her."No," he said firmly, " WindClan is dangerous lately with One star as leader. He is merciless and you are too young to even think about battle." Silverkit flinched. I don't care. I'll show him who's merciless. Plodding into the nursery, she whispered to her mother that she was going off to play with Flamekit and Spottedkit in the elder's den before quickly slinking off into the dense forest. *************** Silverkit sniffed as she padded across the detrius. She was exhausted, her small legs dragging slightly in the rough, uneven undergrowth. Sitting down for a moment's rest, she lifted her nose into the chilly air, smelling the fresh scent of her clan mingled with the unfamiliar scent of heather. Suddenly a screech erupted from behind a bush. "Stay away from our clan's prey, fox-dung!" She heard Ferretclaw spit. Silverkit darted swiftly behind a lareg pine tree and watched her clanmate as he was pinned down by a large, ruthless looking tabby tom. "I can do what I please, and you can't do anything to stop me." With that, he split open Ferretclaw’s stomach with a long claw. A bloodcurdling screech pierced her. "FERRETCLAW!" Screamed Silverkit as she threw herself into the clearing towards the large tom, "You will leave him alone you fox-hearted scum!" The kit flung herself onto the back of the tom and clawed at his eyes. "Get off me!" screamed the tom, "I am Onestar, the leader of WindClan!" Silverkit stiffened, her bright blue eyes on the tom. All the fighting stopped; it was as if it was just her and the enemy. As the WindClan leader blinked blood out of his eyes, he looked down at his pursuer. "A kit? I was attacked by this stupid, filthy creature that thinks she can fight me unpunished? Well, little, Shadow kit, I'll teach you not to mess with me!" With that, Onestar leapt towards her. But she was too slow to jump out of the way. Screeching and squealing, she felt the blood well up in her hind leg under the sharp teeth of her enemy. Not knowing what to do, she fell limp and felt the unbearable weight of Onestar lift off of her. "I will be a leader one day," she growled as she struggled to stand on her feet, "and I will lead much better than you!" In an unexpected burst of adrenaline, Silverkit jumped at the leader with claws outstretched, tearing hard at his ears, and raked his eyes sharply before being thrown off into a tree. Onestar threw himself to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. "My eye! I can't see in one eye!" he yowled. "So, Onestar is an extremely suitable name for you then, isn't it?" purred Silverkit, backing away. After a moment's hesitation Scorchfur, one of the Clan's most loyal warriors, picked Silverkit up by the scruff and dragged her back to where the other ShadowClan warriors were standing astoundedly. "Onestar," he said cautiously, "are you ready to surrender, and to stay away from ShadowClan borders?" The leader of WindClan growled loudly, "There will be no more fighting today. But this battle has only started. Especially for you, Shadowkit." He added, with a flick of his matted tail. "It's Silverkit," she muttered softly to Onestar, "and you better stay off our territory." With that, Silverkit turned tail and allowed herself to be carried back in between the pine trees towards the ShadowClan Camp. = **************** "Silverkit!" Yowled Snowfur as she ran to greet her kit before roughly licking her pelt. "Oh where have you been? I was so worried, I saw Firekit and Spottedkit playing without you and I thought something happened-" "I fought the WindClan leader, mother." "That's nice, dear," she said, eyes still supicious. "Snowfur, I don't think you understand," Scorchfur padded up to her, bloody clumps of torn fur still clinging to his pelt. "She disobeyed our Rowanstars' orders and she followed us to the border. She blinded Onestar!" Snowfurs' head shot up in disbelief. "What?" Two yowls in unison erupted from Rowanstar and Snowfur. "Tell me everything that happened," her father demanded. "Well," gulped Scorchfur, "we were fighting at the border, and Onestar had managed to wound Ferretclaw pretty badly. Next thing I saw, Silverkit had flung herself at him and fought like a warrior; she tore open his ears and now Onestar is blinded in his eye!" Her parents looked at her with narrow eyes. The whole clan had fallen silent, listening to Scorchfurs story. "It was extremely foolish," began Rowanstar, "to go to battle when you are only two moons old. Now, you could've been seriously hurt, and you must go to the medicine den to get your leg checked out. It only looks like a scratch.I shall have to punish you-" "Wait!" The interruption came from Ferretclaw, who was struggling to stand up with the cobweb on his belly. "Without this kit, Onestar would've certainly killed me. Silverkit was a warrior today, she saved my life and defended the name of ShadowClan. Without her, I believe our battle would have been lost. No, she shouldn't have disobeyed orders, and shouldn't do that again, but her courage must be honoured, not punished!" The whole clan stood silently, then slowly, one by one, the cats of ShadowClan raised their muzzles and yowled up to StarClan, while Silverkit sat stiffly, watching the scene unfold before her. Chapter One "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather round."Category:Fan Fictions